1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a wiper assembly for a motor vehicle. More particularly, the invention relates to a method and assembly for removing debris from a wiper assembly for a motor vehicle.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the early days of the automobile, systems that were used to clean a windshield were optional. Oftentimes, a cleaning apparatus was an aftermarket accessory installed by the owner of the automobile. These cleaning systems varied in how they operated and to what extent they cleaned the windshield. In many instances, the cleaning apparatus only removed water and debris from the driver's side of the windshield.
As the speed of the motor vehicle increased, so to increased the requirement for a clean windshield at all times. Coupled with increased congestion on the roadways, a clean windshield became less of a luxury and more of a requirement. Therefore, cleaning systems for the windshield became more mainstream and, as such, these systems were installed as a standard feature by the original equipment manufacturers.
Currently, the standard system used for cleaning a windshield is a wiper assembly. The wiper assembly is commonly referred to as a windshield wiper. The wiper assembly consists of one or two wiper arms moving over the windshield allowing a wiper blade secured to the end of the wiper arm to push water and debris off the windshield. The wiper blade is fabricated from an elastomeric material allowing it to conform to the shape of the windshield. The effectiveness of the wiper assembly is directly related to the ability for the wiper blade to engage the windshield along its entire length.
The operation of the wiper assembly is hindered when debris manages to be collected underneath the wiper blade. The debris, e.g., a leaf, may obstruct the view of the driver of the motor vehicle and prevent the uniform removal of water from the windshield. This makes it difficult for the driver to operate the motor vehicle. Another form of debris is the collection of frozen water, in the form of ice or slush, around the wiper blades. In addition to lifting the wiper blade away from the windshield, the temperature of ice and slush hardens the wiper blade in a configuration which does not conform to the windshield. Therefore, even if the ice and slush are removed from the windshield, the effectiveness of the wiper blade is not optimal if ice remains alongside the wiper blade.
Several attempts have been made to incorporate debris-removing systems therein. These systems operate on the principle that by lifting the wiper arm and, hence, the wiper blade, away from the windshield, the debris that has been collected between the wiper blade and the windshield will be released allowing it to be pushed away by the air passing by as the motor vehicle moves forward. One such assembly is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,867,858, issued to Kelly on Feb. 9, 1999. In this reference, a wiper assembly is disclosed that includes a debris removing function thereof. The debris removing function takes the form of many embodiments, many of which require the interaction between a device that is secured to the wiper arm that cooperates with a device that is secured to the windshield. These systems are undesirable because a part of them will always be visible to those in the passenger compartment of the motor vehicle, regardless of whether the wiper assembly is even working. Other embodiments in this reference include plungers and camming devices that extend out and engage the windshield in order to remove the wiper blade from the windshield. These devices eventually damage the windshield by marking or scratching it and, as such, are undesirable. The final set of embodiments in this reference relate to vibration devices that are used to remove ice from the wiper blade. These systems are not designed to remove debris that may collect under the wiper blade and must be used in conjunction with the other types of embodiments discussed above to completely remove all debris, including frozen precipitation collecting on the wiper assemblies and wiper blades thereof.